Thought For Today

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Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA

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Dec 16, 2023, 1:25:09 AM12/16/23
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President Tinubu, Nnamdi Kanu/Kanu family/IPOB and Ohaneze Ndi Igbo should enter into a tripartite dialogue which would eventually result into the federal government tendering a nolle prosequi application(dropping of charges and discontinuation of prosecution)in the Nnamdi Kanu trial, which would also eventually result into Kanu's release as soon as possible.

-Chidi Anthony Opara (CAO)


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Chidi Anthony Opara is a Poet, Professional Fellow of Institute Of Information Management Africa, MIT Chief Data Officer Ambassador, Registered Freight Forwarder and Editorial Adviser at News Updates.

More about him here: https://independent.academia.edu/ChidiAnthonyOpara

Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA

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Dec 24, 2023, 2:00:08 AM12/24/23
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If my birth date concides with the date on which a certain bad man/woman or a certain evil deity is celebrated by their admirers and adherents, should the concidence stop my family, friends, well wishers and admirers from celebrating my birthday anniversary?

Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA

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Dec 25, 2023, 11:30:40 PM12/25/23
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If someone attacks me in an effort to kill me and my family with matchet, which is the only weapon that person have and I defend myself and my family with an assault rifle which also happens to be the only weapon I have, what is wrong with that? 

Must I go and look for matchet to defend myself and my family? 

Must the method of my defence be dictated to me?

Even if my reaction is considered an "over reaction", shouldn't the action that necessitated my "over reaction" be at least equally condemned? 

cornelius...@gmail.com

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Dec 26, 2023, 3:27:42 AM12/26/23
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Chidi,

Your might might be right.
A tiny mosquito takes a bite
and what do you do?
You drop a whole nuclear bomb on her
thus wrecking the whole neighbourhood 

A Jain of course, wouldn't do that

I know that you were not there 
but do you remember Abraham 
Who wanted to genocide 
the whole of  Sodom and Gomorrah?

Fast forward from those days, to Gentle Jesus and check this out :

Oluwatoyin Adepoju

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Dec 26, 2023, 10:46:30 AM12/26/23
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You have a point.

But the issue becomes problematic if you had a previous history of attacking that other person's family, even when the person was not attacking you, even going so far as occupying part of the house belonging to the other family and placing your own family there.

Thanks

Toyin

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Harrow, Kenneth

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Dec 26, 2023, 12:45:06 PM12/26/23
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I agree w chidi that the hamas attack should be condemned. They didn’t merely “rise up,” they killed civilians, including ;children women etc, and kidnapped hundreds.
The retribution was far beyond proportion, is still going on, is neither justified nor sensible, creating conflict for a long time, rather than leading to peace. Nothing good will come of this israeli response and slaughter. It is indefensible.
Ken harrow

Kenneth Harrow
Emeritus Professor of English, Michigan State University
Harrow@msu/edu

From: usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Oluwatoyin Adepoju <ovde...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 26, 2023 10:28:44 AM
To: usaafricadialogue <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Thought For Today
 

Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA

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Dec 26, 2023, 5:07:52 PM12/26/23
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Ken,

How would the attacked person react and it becomes proportionate to the attack he/she suffered?

Why are we even talking about proportionate retaliation, why are we not discouraging behaviours that would necessitate retaliation whether proportionate or not, and eventually result to war?

-CAO.


On Tuesday 26 December 2023, Harrow, Kenneth <har...@msu.edu> wrote:
I agree w chidi that the hamas attack should be condemned. They didn’t merely “rise up,” they killed civilians, including ;children women etc, and kidnapped hundreds.
The retribution was far beyond proportion, is still going on, is neither justified nor sensible, creating conflict for a long time, rather than leading to peace. Nothing good will come of this israeli response and slaughter. It is indefensible.
Ken harrow

Kenneth Harrow
Emeritus Professor of English, Michigan State University
Harrow@msu/edu


Sent: Tuesday, December 26, 2023 10:28:44 AM
To: usaafricadialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>

Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Thought For Today
You have a point.

But the issue becomes problematic if you had a previous history of attacking that other person's family, even when the person was not attacking you, even going so far as occupying part of the house belonging to the other family and placing your own family there.

Thanks

Toyin

On Tue, Dec 26, 2023, 5:30 AM Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA <chidi...@gmail.com> wrote:
If someone attacks me in an effort to kill me and my family with matchet, which is the only weapon that person have and I defend myself and my family with an assault rifle which also happens to be the only weapon I have, what is wrong with that? 

Must I go and look for matchet to defend myself and my family? 

Must the method of my defence be dictated to me?

Even if my reaction is considered an "over reaction", shouldn't the action that necessitated my "over reaction" be at least equally condemned? 

-Chidi Anthony Opara (CAO)


--
Chidi Anthony Opara is a Poet, Professional Fellow of Institute Of Information Management Africa, MIT Chief Data Officer Ambassador, Registered Freight Forwarder and Editorial Adviser at News Updates.

More about him here: https://independent.academia.edu/ChidiAnthonyOpara

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Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA

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Dec 26, 2023, 5:22:56 PM12/26/23
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Oluwatoyin,

If an armed group emerge in your community and state unequivocally that it is solely formed to wipe your family off the surface of the earth and goes about trying to prove that that objective is not mere talk, your family's offence being that it is occupying a land allocated to it by the entire community, what would be your attitude towards that group and its sponsors?

-CAO.


On Tuesday 26 December 2023, Oluwatoyin Adepoju <ovde...@gmail.com> wrote:
You have a point.

But the issue becomes problematic if you had a previous history of attacking that other person's family, even when the person was not attacking you, even going so far as occupying part of the house belonging to the other family and placing your own family there.

Thanks

Toyin

On Tue, Dec 26, 2023, 5:30 AM Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA <chidi...@gmail.com> wrote:
If someone attacks me in an effort to kill me and my family with matchet, which is the only weapon that person have and I defend myself and my family with an assault rifle which also happens to be the only weapon I have, what is wrong with that? 

Must I go and look for matchet to defend myself and my family? 

Must the method of my defence be dictated to me?

Even if my reaction is considered an "over reaction", shouldn't the action that necessitated my "over reaction" be at least equally condemned? 

-Chidi Anthony Opara (CAO)


--
Chidi Anthony Opara is a Poet, Professional Fellow of Institute Of Information Management Africa, MIT Chief Data Officer Ambassador, Registered Freight Forwarder and Editorial Adviser at News Updates.

More about him here: https://independent.academia.edu/ChidiAnthonyOpara

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Dr. Oohay

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Dec 27, 2023, 12:37:25 AM12/27/23
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Is there any such thing as “moral equivalence” and if there is what would be its mereological moral status?

Harrow, Kenneth

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Dec 27, 2023, 12:37:32 AM12/27/23
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Chidi, these are good questions to which there are no clear answers. That's why I think ethics are not cut and dried. Yet we still have to pass judgments. I believe limits b have to be decided on.
From: usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA <chidi...@gmail.com>
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Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Thought For Today
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Oluwatoyin Adepoju

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Dec 27, 2023, 8:09:49 AM12/27/23
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If I realize that I am the primary aggressor who has displaced and killed many members of that family, occupying a good part of land belonging to that family and not allocated to me by anyone, I will try to enter into to dialogue and accomodation with that group instead of insisting on forever using force as a means of protecting my original inhumanity.

Thanks

Toyin 

On Tue, Dec 26, 2023, 11:22 PM Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA <chidi...@gmail.com> wrote:
Oluwatoyin,

If an armed group emerge in your community and state unequivocally that it is solely formed to wipe your family off the surface of the earth and goes about trying to prove that that objective is not mere talk, your family's offence being that it is occupying a land allocated to it by the entire community, what would be your attitude towards that group and its sponsors?

-CAO.

On Tuesday 26 December 2023, Oluwatoyin Adepoju <ovde...@gmail.com> wrote:
You have a point.

But the issue becomes problematic if you had a previous history of attacking that other person's family, even when the person was not attacking you, even going so far as occupying part of the house belonging to the other family and placing your own family there.

Thanks

Toyin

On Tue, Dec 26, 2023, 5:30 AM Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA <chidi...@gmail.com> wrote:
If someone attacks me in an effort to kill me and my family with matchet, which is the only weapon that person have and I defend myself and my family with an assault rifle which also happens to be the only weapon I have, what is wrong with that? 

Must I go and look for matchet to defend myself and my family? 

Must the method of my defence be dictated to me?

Even if my reaction is considered an "over reaction", shouldn't the action that necessitated my "over reaction" be at least equally condemned? 

-Chidi Anthony Opara (CAO)


--
Chidi Anthony Opara is a Poet, Professional Fellow of Institute Of Information Management Africa, MIT Chief Data Officer Ambassador, Registered Freight Forwarder and Editorial Adviser at News Updates.

More about him here: https://independent.academia.edu/ChidiAnthonyOpara

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More about him here: https://independent.academia.edu/ChidiAnthonyOpara

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cornelius...@gmail.com

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Dec 27, 2023, 2:46:57 PM12/27/23
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The Holy Quran is quite clear about this: Surah Al-Baqarah : 190 - 194


And right now, it’s like them get So Much Things To Say…


Once you start talking about Human Rights and Justice,


Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories


there’s no escaping the religious dimension to this conflict 


Today, of course, Jesus (who during his time on earth lived under Roman Colonial Power) would have been accused of antisemitism, accused of being an antisemite and a self-hating Jew,  but as Jesus and not  Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa salaam is reported to have said to some of the ultra-orthodox rabbis of his day ( the Pharisees), John 8:44 :


“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”


Al Jazeera 


Today, according to Christian scripture, Satan is the ruler of this world. How else do you explain that the IDF is bombing Gaza on the Sabbath, without remorse, and of course, was bombing innocent children and women in Gaza for Christmas? 


So you think that these are naive questions for those who study the Torah every day and obey all His commandments  -  Hashem's preconditions? 


Today -  according to the New York Times morning briefing, the IDF occupational bombardment of Gaza is likely to continue for “many more months “ -maybe well into or well past the Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan 2024 – 9 march till 8 April…


Today, the world is unevenly divided between, on the one side what in Iranian terminology is frequently referred to as The Great Satan ( Uncle Sam) and The Great Satan’s rocksteady partner-in-crime, The Little Satan (the Great Satan Junior, anti-semitically speaking also otherwise known as “The Zionist entity”  and essentially on the other side, the rest of the so-called United Nations.  


Seriously: In a court of law, when a man/woman, organisation or country is charged with wanton murder or terrorism,  genocide, nakba, holocaust, ethnic cleansing, first of all, the court has to establish that the perfidy/ transgression/ abomination did occur, after which the other matters arising, such as motive etc, are secondary.


We might have to go all the way back, not to the First Cause, but to the first ( original) murder as recorded in the Hebrew Bible in which Cain kills his brother Abel. Brothers.


 Slightly different from Aba Abraham’s sons, his firstborn Ishmael and his much younger brother Yitzak  - and if we are to go by the first early signs of what might appear to be racism in world Jewry’s national epic and charter The Written Torah, followed by the rest of what’s known as the Tanach, Ishmael is described as allegedly  “a wild ass of a man” and that perception of dear Ishmael and his descendants persists to this day and that's why, not surprisingly Ovadia Yosef  the Iraqi-born and bred  Chief Sephardi Rabbi of Israel (undoubtedly a racist) still had the temerity to say that the Almighty ( Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala) “regretted that he had created Ishmael and his descendants the Arab people ” 

 

This thread has been going back and forth on the matter, starting with the unequivocal demand that Hamas must be “condemned”  - as if it was Hamas that threw the first stone. Well, as Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, “ I do not condemn you either”


 We must delve into the question: Why did Hamas attack? - 


Osama Hamdan answers the question: Why did Hamas attack Israel on October 7?

When did this conflict begin?  Did it begin with Joshua? UncleTom? Earlier? Chaim Weizmann? Lord Balfour and the Balfour Declaration?  Hitler? Churchill? The Nakba?

Plaintive: Sawel Kwartin : Vetiher Rabbi Yishmael

Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA

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Dec 28, 2023, 2:02:35 PM12/28/23
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The current reluctance to criticize Hamas is understandable. Such criticism is like one putting one's head inside a gigantic grinding machine. 

Hamas is an armed group without any clear paraphernalia to identify its personnel, locations and equipments. The group knows where everyone is and nobody except the members and sponsors know where the group is. Hamas cannot be seen(except for a few brief appearances by a few of its top officials) but can be heard.

The group's military modes of operation do not conform to any known global convention. Thus Hamas can decide to assassinate any critic for example, any where, any place and at any time.

The other reason for the current reluctance to criticize is the several Petro-dollar grants linked to the sponsors of the group. There are those who have access to these grants and hope for continued access. There are those who don't have access to these grants yet but are hoping to in the near future.

Thank you all.

cornelius...@gmail.com

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Dec 29, 2023, 3:45:12 AM12/29/23
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Chidi,


May your tribe increase. 


In response to your summary of what you believe to be so distinctly special about Hamas, I think that we had first of all better take a look at what is meant by 


(1) Terror-bombing of civilians as the Israeli forces have been doing in Gaza for over 80 days now 


(2)  State-sponsored terrorism


As you may well know, Itamar Ben-Gvir who is Israel’s current Minister of National Security  actually lives in the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba/Hebron, which is deemed illegal under international law, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank 


He  is currently processing  circa 200,000 gun licences being issued to his fellow settlers in the West Bank and  is  as it were, manifestly supervising  - with his blessings -  the orchestrated Settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank  - circa 367 attacks by armed settlers and arsonists, on Palestinians in the West Bank, since the 7th of October this year 


Secondly, obviously, what you say about Hamas,  that “The group's military modes of operation do not conform to any known global convention. Thus Hamas can decide to assassinate any critic for example, any where, any place and at any time” is a perfect description of Israel's clandestine and not so clandestine modus operandi, and in the case of an Israel which boasts of Mossad, Shin Bet and other security agencies, they don't conceal their policy of Targeted Assassinations, in fact, they broadcast it, openly 


The next time you embark on holding a brief for Netanyahu & his crew, please be good enough to bring to our attention the necessary subtle distinctions between the different or differing policies of targeted assassinations.


On a more pleasant note, here's some of real Iran 

cornelius...@gmail.com

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Dec 29, 2023, 3:45:36 AM12/29/23
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Al Jazeera


Palestinian News Media


28th December 2023: The death toll in Gaza 


21,600 souls, and after Israel’s ceaseless ongoing terror bombing, uncountable bodies are still buried under the ruins and the rubble.  


Sitting over there at ease, at the Owerri Motor Park, busy composing some of his poetry and sipping his ogogoro & palm wine to his heart's content far from the scene of the action - like Jokerman 


“Resting in the fields, far from the turbulent space

Half asleep near the stars with a small dog licking your face”


Far from the theatre of Israel’s genocidal War being waged on the defenceless, innocent women and children of Gaza, with some of the titles he bears and wears, titles such as   “Professional Fellow of Institute of Information Management Africa MIT Chief Data Officer Ambassador Registered Freight Forwarder and Editorial Adviser” Chief Chidi Anthony Opara seems to be so well informed about Hamas from unreliable and hostile sources of information and perhaps less informed about early Israeli resistance groups such as Lehi otherwise known as The Stern Gang, and of course Irgun, otherwise known as Etzel  - Zionist heroes. 


You may read about them from those who don't consider the aforementioned as heroes, here ( https://islam-radio.net/ // https://islam-radio.net/islam/english/english.htm


The fact is that we all have to be very careful about how we handle information because there’s a lot of misinformation and unhinged propaganda flying around. For example,  Goebbels is still very much alive, has reincarnated and is sometimes indistinguishable from one Mark Regev, in the flesh.


Sometimes, a half-truth qualifies as a whole lie, so when Chidi says, “Hamas is an armed group without any clear paraphernalia to identify its personnel, locations and equipments.” and all the rest that Chidi says about Hamas is very incomplete and not only that, all that Chidi says is nothing but the residual misinformation that has come out of “inside a gigantic grinding machine” that Chidi is so familiar with, the “grinding machine” that Chidi mentioned earlier.


Criticism of Hamas, and “condemnation” or “damnation” of Hamas could perhaps help promote your poetic career,  even win a Nobel Prize or two,  but Hamas is not only “an armed group. “ There’s The Military Wing of Hamas, but Hamas has also been engaged in social work and community projects, promoting education, social welfare, women's rights etc. As government Hamas has been providing health care and housing for the people of Gaza, so, back in 2006 - you could read this: Hamas Victory Is Built on Social Work


I have been familiar with Hamas from the genesis of that organisation which dates back to as recently as 1987, and right up to now. On the political front, you are of course I hope, familiar with the various editions of THE  HAMAS COVENANT, otherwise known as THE HAMAS CHARTER.


The buck stops here with something lighter;  https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Romans+9













On Thursday 28 December 2023 at 20:02:35 UTC+1 Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA wrote:

Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA

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Dec 29, 2023, 7:27:13 AM12/29/23
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"Sitting over there at ease, at the Owerri Motor Park, busy composing some of his poetry and sipping his ogogoro & palm wine to his heart's content far from the scene of the action"-Cornelius Hamelberg

Mazi,

There are also actions in this Motor Park, almost like in Gaza.

By the way, you didn't say anything about the Petro-dollar grants linked to Hamas sponsors?

-Chidi Anthony Opara (CAO)
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Cornelius Hamelberg

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Dec 29, 2023, 3:47:28 PM12/29/23
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Chidi


I must chide thee 


for saying this:” There are also actions in this Motor Park, almost like in Gaza.”


Methinks that the poet in thee 

does not always resist the temptation to exaggerate

not a sin per se, since the big English people such as Per Rogue-y 

have baptised it “hyperbole”  


BTW,  there’s a lot of it in the New Testament  - “the inspired word of God” -  just ask Bart Ehrman - and of course, the mother of the New Testament, the exalted poetry of the Hebrew Bible is also full of it. They call it “ figures of speech” - like crossing the Red Sea or the sea of reeds.


and by the way, there are no capital letters in the original Bible Hebrew, little wonder then that Professor Harrow has carried over that tendency when indulging in twenty-first century English and presumably also French orthography, has mostly dispensed with capitalisations altogether, since it’s such an inconvenience, a bother ( like capital punishment) more strongly put, a pest. 


Something to think about if you’re a fan or disciple of Abraham Abulafia who was into experimentally combining, conjugating, rearranging, and computing the letters of the divine names, and I mention this just in case you and William Shakespeare and St. Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth, and Sir Winston Churchill and Wole Soyinka are still pondering the theme,  “What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other word would smell as sweet.” 


But back to basics: This is the Owerri Motor Park and this is GAZA . The only thing that the Owerri Motor Park has in common with Gaza is most probably fuel shortage. Another difference is that Nigeria produces oil, while Gaza doesn’t. Also, unlike Gaza, the poets at the Owerri Motor Park are not under continuous genocidal bombardment by Israel. 


I’m quiet about your other major error, your words, that, 


“ The other reason for the current reluctance to criticize is the several Petro-dollar grants linked to the sponsors of the group. There are those who have access to these grants and hope for continued access. There are those who don't have access to these grants yet but are hoping to in the near future.”


I’m quiet because “Rayshis Chochma yir -as Adonai” (“ The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Hashem”) 


 It’s the Sabbath and I’m mindful of this line that the  pro-Israel Bible thumpers usually invoke  to intimidate all potential antisemites, critics, Israel-haters and anti-Zionists : 


“And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will aggrandize your name, and [you shall] be a blessing.


And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you." (http://tinyurl.com/yo2hg3jx // http://tinyurl.com/ylr8mmzr )


So, I would just like you to realise that without the US petro-dollars and military hardware that's being supplied by the United States to Israel, Israel would not be bombing Gaza this Sabbath 






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Claire Princess Ayelotan

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Mr Chidi Anthony Opara,

 

We live in a civilised world that demands a balance between religious fervour and basic humanity. The Palestine-Israel conflict, stretching back 75 years, is a stark reminder of this balance. This period even predates the Biafra War (53 years ago), a conflict that you, with your Igbo heritage, should understand in terms of human suffering and tragedy.

 

The metaphor of forgetting the stench after defecation is apt here. Those who live through such conflicts never forget their pain and loss. The current situation in Palestine is a testament to this. Seventy-five years of suffering, loss of life, and denial of fundamental rights – this is the reality that we're discussing. What does it mean to be human in the face of this enduring struggle? One of these is to show respect for the Palestinian people when discussing them.

 

I see a tendency towards neutrality in this forum, with calls for a permanent ceasefire. But I must ask, what comes next? Another temporary peace before the cycle of suffering resumes for the Palestinian people? Why can't they live everyday lives free from constant fear and oppression? It's crucial to consider what comes after a ceasefire – how can we ensure a sustainable peace that allows for normalcy in the lives of those affected?

 

It's easy for us to debate from a distance, but we must remember the impact of our words and stances. When we throw a stone, it doesn't always go where we expect. Sometimes, it comes back to us in ways we didn't anticipate. Let's strive for a dialogue that leads to understanding and resolution.

 

Claire Princess Ayelotan, MA, MA, PhD, PDSL, ACIArb,

Theology & Religious Studies 

 

 

 

 

From: usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA <chidi...@gmail.com>


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Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA

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Claire Princess Ayelotan,

Most of what you pointed out here can presently be settled if the Hamas menace can be done away with and the Palestinian Authority allowed(by the sponsors of terror)to represent the people of Palestine as it should in the peace process.

Hamas and their fellow jihad proxies should realize that the state of Israel is a reality that cannot be wished away. The other reality should be a state of Palestine under a legitimate government, not under a terror group.

Finally, it should be borne in mind always that war is something that MUST be avoided because of its consequences, thus ALL ACTIONS that can lead to war MUST be avoided.

Thank you,

-Chidi Anthony Opara (CAO)

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Oluwatoyin Adepoju

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Dec 30, 2023, 7:25:15 AM12/30/23
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Israel is a terrorist state that has inspired PLO and later Hamas terrorism to counteract terrorism by Jewish groups and terrorism by Israel.

The crisis will come to an end when Israel renounces terrorism and colonialism, pledging to work in good faith with all stakeholders who come in n good faith in the name of equity in creating and sustaining a justly created Palestinian state. 

Israel needs to realize that the Palestinians cannot be bombed out of existence or terrorized into non-resistan e.

The history of Palestinian resistance testifies to that.

Israel should commit to equity and a just Palestinian state.

Hamas, in return, should remove from it's charter it's pledge to destroy Israel.

Iran and other MidEast stakeholders should be encouraged to assist the project.

Without Israel commiting to a fair two state solution and and end to subjugating Palestinians these things won't happen.

Thanks

Toyin


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cornelius...@gmail.com

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Dec 30, 2023, 5:10:22 PM12/30/23
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Chidi, 


Al Jazeera 


Holocaust: ”In the ancient sacrifices only the blood and certain parts of the victim were offered to God, the rest was divided among the priest and the faithful who had offered it. ( Vayikra 7 // Leviticus 7:11- 21 ) A holocaust ( from the Greek “ wholly burned” was a sacrifice in which an entire animal except its hide was consumed in the fire on the later, with the primary purpose of rendering glory to God ( Vayikra 1)"


On the 3rd of October this year (exactly four days before Hamas’s historic, deadly 7th October, military operation) I attended “ The Extraordinary Story of Oslo 1993 “ a lecture by Raphael Cohen-Almagor at Paideia – The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden, at the end of which I asked the lecturer what he thought of the Israel-Saudi Arabia rapprochement prospects which post-the Abraham Accords was on the horizon.


The way things were, even then, Raphael Cohen-Almagor was not optimistic. 


I would also like to add that back in 2017, Hamas amended its Charter and recognized Israel's right to exist


It’s OK to pontificate about Jewish Values, Jewish Ethics, Pirkei Avot, the Nazis and the Holocaust, pikuach nefesh etc, but that discussion should not forget Yirmiyahu  9:24 // Jeremiah 9:25  -  the other circumcision,  “internal circumcision”, the circumcision of the heart. I guess you’ll soon be asking “Why should Israel always be held to a higher standard?”


Quran 2:44 asks the same polemical question: “Enjoin ye righteousness upon mankind while ye yourselves forget (to practise it)? And ye are readers of the Scripture! Have ye then no sense?”


If it’s exceptionalism that you’re looking for, then check this out: http://tinyurl.com/yqnzl32k


“ We are the only people on earth asked to guarantee the security of our occupier ...while Israel is  the only country that calls for defence from its victims”  - ( Hanan Ashrawi) 


I was going to fume

“You’ve gotta wake up and smell the coffee!”

But I guess that would be more barbaric poetry.


Who was it that said, “Give me liberty, or give me death”?


Who was it that sang “Oh Freedom “  - 


“And before I’d be a slave

I’ll be buried in my grave

And go home to my Lord and be free.”


Here’s a moving rendition by Paul Robeson 


Not Baba and not barbaric: Nina Simone: I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free


Since you are the citizen of a Federal Nigeria that has a Muslim majority population, a Muslim President & vice-President etc, and you are a member of the OIC, as a former Biafran for whom terms such as “struggle”, “ freedom”, “liberty”, “Freetown” ought to have a very high value, as has been pointed out to you by our sister, one would have thought that you would be more sensitive to the plight of the oppressed Palestinian people being daily tortured and killed under a savage Zionist colonial yoke.


Always, knowledge is king and thanks to you I got some further insights into one of the problems bedevilling Naija’s Pentecostal communities, the scapegoating phenomenon of children being accused of being witches, the kind of Owerri Motor Park phenomenon that you don’t find in the most tightly populated, besieged Gaza City or the cities of the West Bank, or what was once Jerusalem the Golden cow now witnessing ugly scenes such as Jewish extremist right-wing religious fundamentalist zealots and fundamentalist lunatics foaming at the mouth, tear-gassing and spraying skunk water on the Muslim Faithful who want to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque for the mandatory Friday Jummah Congregational prayers. Jerusalem - the place of Isra' and Mi'raj the original qibla, until it was replaced by Mecca.


The Al Aqsa Mosque flashpoint is and is going to be the epicentre of what’s going to unite Muslims in the forthcoming showdown 


Please take note that The Holy Quran is clear about this too: 


“And who are more unjust than those who prevent the name of Allah from being mentioned in His mosques and strive toward their destruction” 


But cheer up. As you know, Churchill lost the first elections that were held in the UK, after the Second World War. Ditto Netanayu if elections were held in Israel today, he would be heavily defeated too, and he knows it; ditto the very next election, assuming that he will continue to lead the Likud Party, from the precincts of his prison cell. As Fritz Perls put it, “To suffer one's death and to be reborn is not easy.” 


Just imagine if the whole world was only populated by God's Chosen people, something that the most powerful God in all His wisdom and mercy could have arranged. Then there would probably be a civil war or two but no Holocaust, and no conflict between God's Chosen People and the Goyim...


The good news is that believe it or not, War Criminal Netanyahu is soon going to be sacrificed  - as the scapegoat  - the cause of all the ills that have befallen Israel of late, from the mega demonstrations against his proposed judicial reforms under the aegis of the most extreme rightwing government in the history of the nation that was birthed by the United Nations in 1948. Netanyahu is soon going to be sent off to the political wilderness - like Azazel - good riddance, and that's the price that he knows he will have to pay for the extirpation of the sins of his nation, except that in his case it's unlikely that he will be saying, like Jesus, ” Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”


Harry Belafonte: We are the wave



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Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA

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Dec 31, 2023, 1:29:12 AM12/31/23
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Oluwatoyin,

Are you aware that on the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 by the United Nations(UN), the Arab States waged a bitter war against the nascent nation and thereafter, vowed to remove Israel from the map of the world, they also refused to recognize the new nation, despite the fact of it being created by the UN. It is only recently that some Arab States have started recognizing Israel.

Aren't we supposed to know that that initial hostile attitude of Arab nations toward Israel would in turn trigger off hostile reactions from the Jewish nation?

You wrote here that Hamas should review the clause in its charter regarding the obliteration of Israel. Good! What about Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, the Houthi, etc?

Let me tell you here that your suggestion would never be taken because Hamas and other terror groups are fighting proxy fights.

As long as the puppeteers are still of the opinion that Israel should be obliterated from the earth, their puppets would never remove the clause you referenced from their charters.

Thanks.

-CAO.

Thanks

Toyin


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Claire Princess Ayelotan

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Mr Opara,

 

The idea of wishing away the state of Israel is not just about rendering its people stateless – it is about recognising that they have nowhere else to go. Statelessness is not a solution for anyone (think of the Pemba in Kenya); instead, it is a problem currently being mirrored in Gaza by Israel's current government. Their subtle tactics are pushing Palestinians towards statelessness and homelessness.

 

When cohabitation between Israelis and the original inhabitants leads to chaos, it is reminiscent of a proverbial 'bastard in the house', causing more turmoil than harmony. Imagine if outsiders overtook your ancestral land; anyone would unlikely stand idly by.

 

As a researcher and womanist activist, I cannot condone what Hamas did on October 7th. The loss of women and children is a tragedy. Yet, we must acknowledge the trigger points over the past 75 years that led to such incidents. Hamas's actions, labelled as a 'menace', are in many ways a liberation struggle. It is similar to how you would feel if one ethnic group in Nigeria decided to eradicate another.

 

Consider who Hamas really is – they are people born into oppression, like 61-year-old Yahya Sinwar, who has witnessed a lifelong struggle for his people's liberation. Eradicating Hamas equates to erasing the Palestinian identity. And then there is the Palestine Authority (PA), now a shadow of its former self, unable to protect its people. Recently, there has been a glimmer of hope as factions agree to unite for the Palestinian cause. However, this depends on their ability to cooperate without betrayals reminiscent of historical disappointments.

 

The amnesia of many Israelis regarding their history, coupled with hate speech and oppressive actions against Palestinians, is alarming. We must call out Israel's actions for what they are: Genocide. History is repeating itself – from apartheid to Rwanda to the Rohingyas – and we are witnessing it. In this era, Palestinian movement is restricted in their own land, a reality enforced by G4S international security measures. It is a stark reminder that every Palestinian life matters; as Angela Davis aptly puts it, "Freedom is a constant struggle".

 

Our current comfort does not preclude future upheaval. The global situation is akin to my cuisine cocotte minute (pressure cooker) on the brink. As Black people, we must strive for a world where privileges are not exclusive to a few. The time to say 'enough is enough' is now. The future of coming generations depends on our actions and our voice for those like the Palestinians, who are still fighting for their fundamental rights and freedoms.

 

I hope you enjoy your weekend.

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Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA

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Dec 31, 2023, 4:59:56 AM12/31/23
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Ms Ayelotan,

Your sentiment here is one sided, it didn't bring into account the Arab brutal gang up against the newly created state of Israel and the survivalism that that brutal gang up triggered on the part of Israel.

I am not saying and will never say that Israel is right all the time, but in condemning some of Israel's excesses, which are mostly reactions, why do we always find it difficult to also strongly condemn the actions that necessitated such reactions.

Wishing you and yours a happy and prosperous 2024 and beyond.

-CAO.

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Oluwatoyin Adepoju

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Dec 31, 2023, 5:43:24 AM12/31/23
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Thanks, Chidi.

The PLO renounced terrorism. What did they get in return?

The reason for hostility against Israel is that it is seen as a usurper, a colonial state.

Why was the Arab world at odds with the UN declaration of Israeli nationhood in the first place?

The Catholic church itself has described the need for the Jews to have a homeland, but decries the injustice to the Palestinians represented by the manner of the founding of Israel.

Another view holds that Israel was given 80 percent of the land, while Jewish terrorist groups drove out Palestinians even from some of those parts of the land not allocated to Israel by the UN.

At this point in time, if Israel is able to even indicate its ready to agree to a redrawing of its borders in order to provide adequate land for a Palestinian state, withdraw from Gaza, stop the Gaza blockade, agree on sharing Jerusalem, and withdraw totally from the West Bank, some suggest withdrawing to Israel's pre-1967 borders, Hamas, Iran and other hostile mid east states and powwers are likely to be persuadable to change their attitude to Israel. 

thanks

toyin


Thanks

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Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA

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Oluwatoyin,

Is this escapism or what?

Why, inspite of my efforts in calling attention to the actions that necessitated the reactions, you still dwell solely on the reactions instead of juxtaposing both actions and reactions to analyze the situation better?

-CAO.

Thanks

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cornelius...@gmail.com

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Dec 31, 2023, 6:17:20 PM12/31/23
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Chidi,


Chew on this: Back in 2017 Hamas was ready for a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 242 ( and 338


Each time you mention the creation of the Jewish State in 1948 “by the United Nations”, I’m oddly reminded of Gore Vidal’s quirky introduction to Jewish History, Jewish Religion: The Weight of Three Thousand Years, a must-read if we want to understand what we are talking about.


In the name of enlightened self-interest, you may start with The Laws Against Non-Jews and if you have not already done so, may I humbly suggest that you start at the beginning with Gore Vidal’s introduction and read on, zap right through, it’s only about 120 pages. It’s one of the few books that I have read a couple of times. Another book I’ve read a couple of times, at least twenty-five times, with all kinds of commentaries, is the Torah (The Stone Edition Chumash, circa 1,300 pages). Unlike some of your bonafide “Nigerian Zionists” ( and I don’t know whether or not you count yourself as one of them) I wish that I could say ditto about having read through the entire Talmud more than twenty-five times…


 Nota bene: BTW, we can’t all be like Einstein or Marilyn Vos Savant but I’m curious about how e.g. “The world’s most educated man” is doing in that regard, aware as I am that even Allah’s weakest slave has to be more humble about The QURAN which was revealed in the Quraish dialect of the Arabic Language 


Here’s  the  first paragraph of the Stone Chumash notes on Genesis:


“ We begin the study of the Torah with the realisation that the Torah

is not a history book, but the charter of man's mission in the

universe. Thus, in his very first comment, Rashi cites Rav Yitzchak

who says that since the Torah is primarily a book of laws, it

should have begun with the commandment of the New Moon ( Exodus 12:

2) , the first law that was addressed to all Jewry as a nation. He

explains that the reason for the Torah's narrative of creation is to

establish that God is the sovereign of the universe. “He declared

to His people the power of His works in order to give them the

heritage of the nations.” (Psalm 111.6)  If the nations accuse

Israel of banditry for seizing the lands of the seven nations of

Canaan, Israel can respond, “The entire universe belongs to God. He

created it and He granted it to whomever He deemed fit. It was His

desire to give it to them and then it was His desire to take it

from them and give it to us.”


Of course, we could - as far as possible - go back to the genesis of where we are today - not the Bible record which does not even pretend to be history - even if according to the Hebrew calendar we are now living in the year 5784 since the day of creation when, poetically speaking, employing the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet God allegedly said, "Let there be light," and there was light.


There’s the early (I almost wrote “earthly”) Zionist dream ( wishful thinking) about Palestine as “A land without a people for a people without a land”  which somehow parallels some of the later day Igbos (Johnny who came lately) talking about Lagos as “ No man's land “.


You get my drift.



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Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA

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Dec 31, 2023, 6:38:33 PM12/31/23
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"You get my drift"-Cornelius Hamelberg

Mazi,

I didn't, honestly.

-CAO.

On Sunday 31 December 2023, cornelius...@gmail.com <cornelius...@gmail.com> wrote:

Chidi,


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Claire Princess Ayelotan

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Dec 31, 2023, 6:38:42 PM12/31/23
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Mr Opara,

Thank you for sharing your perspective. I understand your point about the historical complexities surrounding the creation of Israel and the subsequent conflicts. Indeed, no conflict is one-dimensional, and there are often actions and reactions from all parties involved.

However, my focus on the situation in Gaza is driven by the current humanitarian crisis and the disproportionate impact on civilians, especially children, women, people with disabilities, and older ones. My intention is not to be one-sided because I am not, as you voiced, but to highlight the suffering that often gets overshadowed in political and historical debates. Unfortunately, It seems that the plight of these vulnerable individuals has been ignored. 

I also recognise the role of external influences in shaping the Israel-Palestine conflict. The involvement of third parties since the inception of Israel has undoubtedly complicated the dynamics, leading to deep-seated enmity and recurring violence. Everything was flawed from the onset and still today. It was a very faulty initiative that deeply went terribly wrong. This aspect is crucial in understanding the full spectrum of the conflict and seeking lasting solutions.

As we move into 2024, my hope is for all parties involved to find a path towards peace and reconciliation, prioritising the well-being of those who have suffered the most in these prolonged conflicts.

With this, I believe our discussion on this matter has reached its natural conclusion. I appreciate the exchange of views and wish you and your loved ones a happy and prosperous 2024.

Dr Claire Princess Ayelotan 
Theology & Religious Studies 


On 31 Dec 2023, at 10:59, Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA <chidi...@gmail.com> wrote:

Ms Ayelotan,
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cornelius...@gmail.com

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Jan 1, 2024, 1:55:41 AM1/1/24
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Chidi,


No worries; sometimes, I myself don’t get “my drift”, my own drift, I sort of unconsciously get lost in a so-called “stream of consciousness”, I even got lost reading Jon Fosse’s slow-moving, sometimes dreamy  “A New Name” - several times, maybe because sometimes, I was half falling asleep, but honestly, Joyce apart, I never got lost reading Bruno Schulz or  Kerouac, not even once…


Here’s a Map Of Palestine in Christ's Time, circa 4 B.C. - 30 A.D.and here are some Maps of Old Lagos 


So, as even Robinson Crusoe can see, all I meant to say was that of course, unlike the moon, Lagos cannot be regarded as a “No Man’s Land” in the year 2023 - and when it comes to the moon, a giant step, the first thing that the US-Americans did when they got up there is that they planted the American Flag there, thus staking their claim. The next stage of course, especially if there’s some gold and other precious minerals plentifully buried up there, then the next stage could be the co-lo-n-i-sation of “ No Man’s Land”  - and to buttress their claim, some made-in-USA prophet could cook up a “holy” prophecy written in the twenty-six letters of the American English alphabet and according to which ”God”, the American God, the God of Abraham Lincoln promised Sleepy Joe Biden and his descendants the moon, all of it, that they should possess it as an eternal inheritance ( “And the LORD appeared unto Joe Biden, and said, “ The whole Universe is Mine: Unto thy seed do I give the moon,  the stars, Mars and Jupiter, as an eternal possession !” And then they'll tell the Native Americans that it was all written in Black and White…


As way back as circa 1964 Bobby D was probably already aware of this prophecy when he composed this verse of I Shall Be Free No. 10


“Well, I don’t know, but I’ve been told

The streets in heaven are lined with gold

I ask you how things could get much worse

If the Russians happen to get up there first

Wowee! pretty scary!”


But Bobby D was a little more sceptical by the time he put out Infidels  and one of the songs “Licence To Kill in which he croons


“Oh, man has invented his doom

First step was touching the moon”


Did you digest Ojogbon’s Can We Say “A Happy New Year”?,


He’s not the only one in agony, dealing with such excruciatingly painful existential dilemmas and the sorts of questions arising from reading this kind of news item: Over 1,000 Children in Gaza Have Had One or Both Legs Amputated Since Oct 7 - from Scheerpost  - and with no end to the carnage in sight, how do you, another human being say “ Happy New Year” to them?


Earlier in the day I read this one captioned 31 December 2023, agonising on the same theme 


Anyway, a better year to us all and Happy Birthday to Ojogbon! 


Lastly, since the religious dimension to the conflict is inescapable and it’s Uncle Sam that’s Israel’s greatest backer of the ongoing carnage,here are some thoughts about how/ why this is / could be so : 


American Support of Israel: A (Widely) Unknown Part of the History


I hope you get his drift 


The Drifter’s Escape  from the album  John Wesley Harding 



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Chidi Anthony Opara is a Poet, Professional Fellow of Institute Of Information Management Africa, MIT Chief Data Officer Ambassador, Registered Freight Forwarder and Editorial Adviser at News Updates.

More about him here: https://independent.academia.edu/ChidiAnthonyOpara

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Chidi Anthony Opara is a Poet, Professional Fellow of Institute Of Information Management Africa, MIT Chief Data Officer Ambassador, Registered Freight Forwarder and Editorial Adviser at News Updates.

More about him here: https://independent.academia.edu/ChidiAnthonyOpara

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Chidi Anthony Opara is a Poet, Professional Fellow of Institute Of Information Management Africa, MIT Chief Data Officer Ambassador, Registered Freight Forwarder and Editorial Adviser at News Updates.

More about him here: https://independent.academia.edu/ChidiAnthonyOpara

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